kscans

Chapter 13 - My Nostalgia Glitched Out LOL

I emerged victorious. Despite the initial disadvantage, I won.

I felt like shouting from the depths of my stomach and striking a triumphant pose. It was that joyous of a victory.

We all celebrated in the sales department, basking in the sense of achievement that even a worthless person like me could pull it off.

It was as thrilling as landing a big contract. Even the losing side seemed to take it well.

We praised each other's efforts, promising a rematch next time... This kind of thing is great, isn't it?

The victory party continued in high spirits until the end.

The after-party was fun too, and I wanted to go home in a good mood and collapse into bed... but unfortunately, I still had plans.

The date had already changed, but due to the other person's busy schedule and my own commitments, it ended up being this late.

When I teleported to the training ground owned by the Mutual Aid Society, she was already there.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"No, I should be the one apologizing for making such a selfish request."

It was Chika-san.

I couldn't help but gulp at the sight of her in form-fitting training wear. Maybe it was the alcohol, but my self-control was... Huh!? Chika-san gave me a meaningful smile... I pulled myself together.

Well, there's no social issue since she's divorced now, but... emotionally...

The immoral fantasy that had been haunting me even before her divorce crossed my mind, making me hit the brakes.

"No, it's fine. It's only natural to want to get back into the swing of things."
"Thank you."

I came here to help Chika-san shake off her rust.

Although she's returning to the Mutual Aid Society, her work style... is that even the right term? Well, anyway.

Her work arrangement will be similar to mine, mainly in the regular world with occasional requests.

After all, Chika-san is a company president. She has to protect her employees' livelihoods.

I think it's the right decision for her to return so she can respond immediately if anything happens to Rika-chan.

However, even in this part-time capacity, she's been away from active duty for nearly twenty years...

"By the way, how are Rika-chan and Hikaru-kun doing?"
"They had another lecture today. They worked until about midnight and are now resting at the Mutual Aid Society's hotel."
"They're still studying?"

I remember finishing in just two or three sessions when it was my turn...

I thought they would have finished long ago since they started in the latter half of Golden Week. When I said this,

"Of course not. It's completely different from back then. There's much more content now. I was surprised when I joined after work."
"Has it changed that much?"
"Of course it has. Various factions have risen and fallen, and on top of that, there's been a world crisis almost every year."
"Ah..."
"Moreover, you've been handling everything, Hiro-kun. You even prevented the world's destruction the day before we reunited."

Well, about the world crises... yeah, I guess my senses have become numb to it.

It's like, "Again?"... It feels like annual hay fever at this point.

"But the factions haven't changed that much, have they? Even thriving businesses can fail. You can't worry about every little thing."
"I can't believe you're talking about it like it's some restaurant business... There are still remnants out there... You've completely lost your sense of danger..."

I cleared my throat with a "Ahem!" and changed the subject.

I felt embarrassed, like I was making a fool of myself.

"Time is limited, so let's get started. You're ready, right?"
"Of course. Are you sure you're okay?"

Instead of answering verbally, I beckoned her with my hand. Chika-san flashed a competitive smile.

Yes, this is it. This is what I remember. This person has quite a fiery spirit.

"Here I come...!!"

As Chika-san stomped the ground with all her might, magma erupted.

Seeing the tsunami of magma completely blocking my view, I was overwhelmed by an indescribable nostalgia.

(This is her signature strategy that she started using towards the end.)

First, the visual impact of a magma tsunami is immense. It usually throws people off on their first encounter.

And if the opponent is shaken enough, even if they have a means to defend, they imagine themselves being scorched by the intense heat and instinctively try to evade.

In that case, they usually try to escape upwards. So, I could circle around and land a hit.

But defending isn't necessarily the right answer either.

(...I could blow it away, but this is just to shake off the rust. I might as well ride it out.)

I deployed a barrier to block the magma.

The magma that failed to incinerate me didn't disappear... it continued to remain.

A sea of magma filled the training ground, swirling around. I looked around, up and down, left and right, searching for Chika-san, but she was nowhere to be seen.

(...I still can't figure it out.)

I know the trick, so I know where she is, but I can't pinpoint her exact location.

She should be dissolved somewhere in this sea of magma, but there's no sense of incongruity that's common with these kinds of hiding techniques.

Chika-san, being a Star Priestess born from absorbing the Earth's power, has an extraordinarily high affinity with nature.

Once she blends in like this, you can't find her relying on your senses alone.

Unless you blow away all the magma in an instant, you probably can't smoke her out.

(However, she's also struggling to attack.)

The key to this strategy is the element of surprise.

Even if you withstand the initial magma attack, you need to do something about the residual natural forces to regain the advantage.

Even knowing the trick, it's difficult to pinpoint her location, and you have to remain vigilant against attacks that could come from anywhere at any time.

Constantly being on edge against surprise attacks is quite draining.

Even the option of blowing everything away isn't as simple as it sounds. Chika-san herself is quite strong, after all.

(It's not interesting to continue this stalemate. I should make a move.)

Let's escort the lady like a gentleman, shall we?

(If faced with this kind of tactic... what would you do?)

I took a deep breath and started inhaling the magma.

If I keep swallowing it faster than new magma can be generated, it will eventually disappear.

"What kind of absurd...!?"

I fired two light bullets with a time delay towards Chika-san, who had no choice but to emerge.

My plan to guide with the first shot and hit with the second was perfectly executed.

She managed to defend at the last second, but her body was blown away and slammed against the wall.

"But if we're shaking off rust, it needs to be at least this intense...!"
"That's the spirit!"

I swatted away the barrage of wind blades with my hand.

In addition to the overwhelming quantity that blocked my view,

(She's added color to the invisible wind blades... it must be a diversion.)

She's mixed invisible blades that she's dissolved herself into among the colored ones.

As soon as I made that judgment, I sensed a presence behind me. It's going according to plan, but it's too slow.

The earlier magma burst was a bit excessive due to excitement, but now I've restrained myself to about the level of strength Chika-san had back then.

The fact that I can still respond proves that Chika-san's skills are still quite rusty.

"You're wide op—...!?"

I turned around, saw it, and froze.

An impact ran across my cheek, and I was kicked away.

"Hey, Hiro-kun! Didn't I say no excessive holding back!? There's no way you should have taken that hit when you could react!"

Chika-san scolded me, hands on her hips and leaning forward.

This reaction confirmed it. This wasn't an intentional phenomenon.

I rubbed my cheek as I stood up and answered.

"...Chika-san, take a look at your body."
"Huh? My body? Stop saying nonsense..."
"Just do it."

After I insisted, Chika-san reluctantly looked down at herself...

"Eh? What? My breasts have shrunk?"

No, it's not just her breasts.

"Come to think of it, my line of sight is lower too...?"

Yes, Chika-san now looked exactly as she did back then.

(Ch-Chika-chan...!!)

Right now, I was incredibly excited.